Hand tools



g- 1967 K. D. HARRIS 3,338,274

HAND TOOLS Filed Feb. 2, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR KENNETH D. HARRIS BY WZ ATTORNEYS K. D. HARRIS Aug. 29, 1967 HAND TOOLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1965 INVENTOR KENNETH D. HARRIS @W ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,338,274 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 3,338,274 HAND TOOLS Kenneth D. Harris, 108 Windward Way, Euless, Tex. 76039 Filed Feb. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 429,825 4 Claims. (Cl. 140118) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Pliers having cooperable jaw plates for cutting overlapped portions of a loop of wire, bending inwardly the end portions of the loop into the loop, and holding the end portions during twisting of the loop to cause it to secure reinforcing bars and the like extending through the loop to one another.

This invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to wire cutting and forming pliers.

An object of this invention is to provide new and improved pliers for cutting ofi" overlapped portions of a wire formed into a loop and bending the free end portions of the wire loop, from which the overlapped portions have been cut off, inwardly into the wire loop to minimize the possibility of ob'ects or clothing being snagged by such ends of the wire loop.

Another object is to provide pliers which are adopted to hold the ends of the wire loop after the overlapped end portions have been cut off to permit manipulation of the wire loop by the pliers.

Still another object is to provide pliers having a pair of cutting and forming jaws between which overlapped portions of a wire may be disposed wherein the cutting and forming jaws are movable into telescoped relationship with one another to first cut off the overlapped end portions of the wire from the loop and then bend inwardly into the loop extreme end portions of the wire loop.

A further object is to provide a pair of pliers which may be used to secure to objects, such as a pair of reinforcing'bars, to one another by forming a loop of wire about the two rods and the overlapping two extreme end portions of the wire wherein the overlapped portions of the loop are receivable between the cutting and forming jaws of the pliers which are then adapted to cut off the overlapped end portions of the wire, then bend the free ends of the wire loop inwardly into the loop, and then hold the bent-in end portions of the wire loop against displacement whereby the pliers may then be rotated to twist the wire loop about itself to firmly secure the reinforcing bars to one another due to the progressive decrease in the dimension of the loop due to the twisting of a portion of the loop about itself.

A further object is to provide cutting and forming pliers of the type described which are formed of a minimum of parts and are easily manipulated to cut and form wire.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical end view of pliers embodying the invention; FIGURE 2 is another side view in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a jaw assembly mounted on one of the handles of the pliers;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the other jaw assembly on the other handle of the pliers;

of the pliers illustrated FIGURE 5 is a perspective exploded view of the jaw assembly illustrated in FIGURE 3 and of the upper end portion of the handle to which it is secured;

FIGURE 6 is a view showing the manner in which a wire is bent into a loop about a pair of reinforcing bars extending perpendicularly relative to one another and the manner in which the overlapped portions of the wire are received between the jaws of the pliers;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 showing the jaws pivoted into telescoped relation with one another, the overlapped portions of the wires cut-oif and pliers rotated to twist the wire to cause the wire to firmly hold the reinforcing bars to one another; and,

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view showing the wire loop after it has been formed by the use of the pliers embodying the invention.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, the pliers 10 embodying the invention include a pair of handles 11 and 12 provided at their upper ends with the cooperating cutting and forming jaw assemblies 14 and 15, respectively, and pivotally connected adjacent their upper ends by a pivot pin or rivet 16.

The handle 11 is formed of a single piece of metal which is substantially U-shaped in cross-section having rearwardly extending flat side walls 18 and 19 and a forward arcuate connecting portion 20. The side walls have lower parallel portions 18a and 19a, intermediate upwardly converging portions 18b and 19b, and upper parallel portions and 190. The upper portions 180 and of the side walls are thus caused to be spaced from one another a smaller distance than the lower portions 18a and 19a of the side walls. The upper portion of the handle above the location of the juncture of the upper and intermediate side wall portions extends forwardly at an angle to the lower portion of the handle.

A pair of planar parallel pivot plates or extensions 21 and 22 of the side walls 18 and 19, which are integral with the side Walls, extend upwardly and rearward-1y at an angle from the upper ends of the side walls. The pivot plates 21 and 22 have lugs 24 and 25, respectively, which are received in the slots 26 and 27, respectively, of the arcuate top portion 28 of the head 29 of the jaws assembly 14. The head has parallel planar pivot plates 31 and 32 which are disposed outwardly of the pivot plates 21 and 22, respectively, of the handle 11 and are pivotally secured thereto by the pivot pin 16 which extends through the aligned apertures 34 and 35 of the handle pivot plates 21 and 22, respectively, and the apertures 36 and 37 of the head pivot plates 31 and 32, respectively.

The head has a pair of outer parallel planar jaw plates 41 and 42 which extend downwardly from the fiat portion 43 thereof which itself extends forwardly from the arcuate portion 28 thereof. The extreme forward outer angular end portions 44 and 45 of the outer jaw plates are curved laterally outwardly.

A central planar jaw plate 48 is rigidly secured to the head 29 by means of its lugs 49 and 50 which are received in the slots 51 and 52, respectively, of the head. The lugs 49 and 50 have a very tight press or frictional fit in the slots. In addition, the central jaw plate may be welded to the head to prevent its separation therefrom. The central jaw plate has a hook portion 53 at its forward end and a straight cutting edge 54 which extends forwardly from its planar pivot plate 56. The pivot plate 56 is also provided with an aperture 57 through which the pivot pin or rivet 16 extends. The jaw assembly 14 is thus provided with the two outer planar jaw plates which have the forming or bending edges 58 and 59 and with a central or cutting jaw plate whose cutting edge preferably lies in the same radial plane of the axis of the rivet as the forming edges.

The handle 12, like the handle 11, is formed of a single piece of metal and is substantially U-shaped in cross section having side walls 61 and 62 which extend forwardly from the rear arcuate connecting portion 63 thereof. The lower portions 61a and 62b of the handle extend parallel to one another, their intermediate portion 61b and 62b extend convergently upwardly, and their top portions 610 and 62c extend parallel to one another. The side walls 61 and 62 at all locations throughout their length are spaced closer to one another than the side walls 18 and 19 of the handle 11 at such locations so that the handle 11 may telescope between the side walls 18 and 19 of the handle 11.

A planar brace plate 65 extends between the upper portions 61c and 620 of the handle 12 and is preferably rigidly secured thereto as by welding. The side walls 61 and 62 at their upper ends are provided with the planar pivot plates or extensions 66 and 67 which are receivable between the pivot plates 21 and 22, the outer surfaces of the pivot plates 66 and 67 slidably engaging inner surfaces of the pivot plates 21 and 22. The pivot plates of the handle 11 are also provided with the apertures 68 and 69 through which the rivet 16 extends. The pivot plate 56 of the central jaw plate 48 is received between the pivot plates 66 and 67 and slidably engages their inner surfaces. The pivot plates 66 and 67 are provided with the stops 71 and 72, respectively, which are engageable with the rear edge or shoulder 73 of the arcuate top portion 28 of the head 29 to limit outward pivotal movement of the handles 11 and 12 away from one another.

The jaw assembly which is connected to the upper portion of the side walls 61 and 62 of the handle- 12 includes a pair of parallel planar jaw plates 74 and 75 which are connected by an arcuate portion 76. These jaw plates may be integral with the side walls 61 and 62, respectively. The jaw plates 74 and 75 in their edges remote from the arcuate portion are provided with a plurality of aligned recesses 77 in which wires may be received to hold them against outward movement relative to the jaw assemblies when the jaw assemblies are pivoted toward one another. The inner surfaces of the jaw plates 74 and 75 either slidingly engage the opposite sides of the central cutting jaw plate or are spaced a minimum distance therefrom when the jaw assemblies are pivoted toward one another so that the inner edges of the jaw plates 74 and 75 cooperate with the outer edges of the cutting edge 54 of the central jaw plate to cut any wires which have been placed therebetween. The outer surfaces of the jaw plates 74 and 75, however, are spaced inwardly, substantially the thickness of the wire which is to be cut and formed by the pliers, from the inner surfaces of the forming jaw plates 41 and 42 of the head of the jaw assembly 14.

The arcuate portion 76 of the jaw assembly 15 provides a pair of shoulders 76a and 76b which are adapted to engage wires which have been cut and bent by the pliers as will be explained in greater detail below. The arcuate portion also provides a recess 760 of greater lateral dimension than the distance between the inner surfaces of the jaw plates 74 and 75.

The handles, and therefore the jaw assemblies, are biased outwardly relative to each other by a spring 78, one of whose bent ends 78a extends through apertures in the handle 11 and the other of whose bent ends 78b extends through an aperture in the handle 12 to secure the spring to the handles.

In use, when it is desired to secure together two members, for example a pair of reinforcing bars 81 and 82 which extend perpendicularly relative to one another by means of a wire 83, the wire 83 is bent around the lowermost reinforcing bar 82 and its upper end portions are bent upwardly and inwardly to form a loop with the overlapped end portions 85 and 86 of the wire extending between the jaw assemblies 14 and 15 of the pliers. The overlapped end portions of the wire are received in the recesses 77 of the jaw plates 74 and 75 as the handles 11 and 12 are pivoted toward one another and their outward displacement from between the jaw assemblies is thus prevented. As pivotal movement of the handles 11 and 12 is continued, the jaw plates 74 and 75 move the overlapped portions of the wire into engagement with the cutting edge 54 and the forming edges 58 and 59 and then the edges of the jaw plates 74 and 75 move the wire portions inwardly between these edges, the overlapped portions and 86 of the wire are cut off or severed from the loop. Each pair of overlapped portions is outwardly cut in two places with a slant slug or piece of wire being moved into the recess 76c of the arcuate portion, which being of greater dimension than such slugs permits the slugs to slide out the forward end of the recess. After the cutting of the overlapped end portions 85 and 86, the continued pivotal movement of the jaw plates of the jaw assembly 15 between the jaw plates of the jaw assembly 14 causes the outer end portions 88 and 89 of the wire to be bent inwardly over the forming edges 58 and 59 to the position illustrated in FIGURE 7. The jaw plates 74 and 75 now hold the outer end portions of the wire in relatively tight frictional engagement therewith and with the forming jaw plates 41 and 42 as illustrated in FIG- URE 7. The shoulders 76a and 76b of the arcuate portion 76 may also engage the wire to prevent its displacement. The large wire loop 83 may then be twisted on itself to form as many twists 94 as desired by rotation of the pliers about a vertical axis as seen in FIGURES 6 and 7. Such rotation of the wire causes the wire loop to assume the shape illustrated in FIGURE 7 wherein firmly holds the two bars against movement relative to each other. The handles are then released for pivotal movement away from each other and as the jaw assemblies are pivoted away from one another they may then be disengaged from the wire leaving the wire formed and in the position shown in FIGURE 8. The inner ends of the wire even after the jaw assemblies are pivoted away from one another frictionally engage the central jaw plate due to the resilience of the wire and the wire could be twisted even after the jaw assemblies have been pivoted away from one another. The sharp ends of the wire from which the loop is formed are now bent inwardly into the upper portion of the loop above its twisted portion 94 wherein they will not be in position to snag objects or clothing or injure the operator.

The hook portions 53 of the central cutting jaw plate may be used to move a wire into position to be engaged by the cutting edge thereof. For example, if it is desired to cut the wire of the loop, FIGURE 8, holding the two bars 81 and 82 together, the hook portion 53 may be in serted between the wire and the bars to move the wire into engagement with its cutting edge 54 and the pivotal movement of the jaw assemblies toward one another will then cause the wire to be cut. The outward curve of the end portions 44 and 45 of the forming jaw plates facilitates engagement of the hook portion with the wire.

It will now be seen that the pliers 10 have a pair of jaw assemblies pivotally movable relative to each other, one jaw assembly having a pair of jaw plates for moving a wire into engagement with and past the plane of the cutting and forming edges of the jaw plates of the other jaw assembly.

While the pliers have been illustrated and described in connection with the forming of wire loops for securing reinforcing bars to one another, the pliers may be designed for other applications. For example, the pliers embodying the invention may be made in appropriate sizes for use by surgeons to cut and twist suture wires or by orthodontists to cut and twist wires used to exert forces on misaligned teeth to move the teeth into proper alignment.

If desired, the pliers could be formed without the jaw plate 75 of the jaw assembly 15 and the jaw forming jaw plate 42 of the jaw assembly 14 in which case the two end portions of the wire loop would be bent inwardly over the forming jaw plate 41 and between the jaw assemblies and, when the jaw assemblies are then pivoted toward each other, the central cutting jaw plate and the jaw plate 74 would cooperate to cut oil extreme end portions of the wire and also bend outer end portions inwardly over the forming jaw 41 and whereupon the wire could be twisted by rotating the pliers.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, and changes in the details of the construction illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed and desired Patent is:

1. A wire cutting and forming pliers including: a pair of handles pivotally connected adjacent their upper ends; a jaw means on the upper end of each handle, said jaw means being movable into Wire cutting and forming relation upon movement of said handles toward one another, one of said jaw means comprising a first pair of outer forming jaw plates and a central cutting jaw plate having a cutting edge, the other of said jaw means comprising a second pair of jaw plates movable inwardly on opposite sides of said central plate and between said forming plates and having cutting edges cooperable with said cutting edge of said cutting jaw plate for cutting overlapped portions of a loop of wire positionable about one of said jaw means when said jaw means are moved into interleaved relation, outer surfaces of said cutting jaw plate being disposed closely adjacent inner surfaces of said second pair of jaw plates, inner surfaces of said first pair of jaw plates being spaced from outer surfaces of said second pair of jaw plates to provide a space therebetween when said jaw means are moved into interto be secured by Letters leaved relation, said spaces being sufliciently wide to receive opposite end portions of a wire loop therein, said first pair of jaw plates having bending edges and said first pair of plates having edges engageable with end portions of a wire loop for moving the end portions inwardly into said spaces and bending them at the lo cations of their engagement with said bending edges.

2. A wire cutting and forming pliers including: a pair of handles pivotally connected adjacent their upper ends;

a first jaw means on one of said handles including a forming jaw plate and a cutting jaw plate having a cutting edge; a second jaw means on the other of said handles including a third jaw plate movable inwardly between said forming and cutting jaw plates and having a cutting edge cooperable with said cutting edge of said cutting jaw plate for cutting overlapped portions of a loop of wire disposable about one of said jaw means, said third jaw plate being positioned closer to said cutting jaw plate than said forming jaw plate when said third jaw plate is disposed between said forming and cutting jaw plates to provide a space between said third jaw plate and said forming jaw plate for receiving end portions of a wire loop therein, said forming jaw plate providing a bending edge, said cutting .jaw plate having an edge engageable with an end portion of a wire loop for moving the end portion inwardly into said space and bending it at the location of its engagement with said bending edge.

3. The wire cutting and forming pliers of claim 2, wherein said second jaw means has shoulder means for engaging a wire extending over said forming jaw plate and between said third jaw plate and said forming jaw plate and holding the wire against movement outwardly from between jaw means when said jaw means are in interleaved relation.

4. The wire cutting and forming pliers of claim 1 wherein said other of said jaw means comprising shoulder means disposed adjacent said forming jaw plates when said second pair of jaw plates is moved inwardly on opposite sides of said central jaw plate and cooperating with said first pair of jaw plates for holding a wire against displacement from said pliers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 358,715 3/1887 Alexander 118 494,429 3/1893 Maney 140118 XR 526,766 10/1894 Williams 140l16 XR 2,591,649 4/1952 Whiting 819.5 XR 3,130,484 4/1964 Zdauis 140-123 XR WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WIRE CUTTING AND FORMING PLIERS INCLUDING: A PAIR OF HANDLES PIVOTALLY CONNECTED ADJACENT THEIR UPPER ENDS; A JAW MEANS ON THE UPPER END OF EACH HANDLE, SAID JAW MEANS BEING MOVABLE INTO WIRE CUTTING AND FORMING RELATION UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID HANDLES TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, ONE OF SAID JAW MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST PAIR OF OUTER FORMING A JAW PLATES AND A CENTRAL CUTTING JAW PLATE HAVING A CUTTING EDGE, THE OTHER OF SAID JAW MEANS COMPRISING A SECOND PAIR OF JAW PLATES MOVABLE INWARDLY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CENTRAL PLATE AND BETWEEN SAID FORMING PLATES AND HAVING CUTTING EDGES COOPERABLE WITH SAID CUTTING EDGE OF SAID CUTTING JAW PLATE FOR CUTTING OVERLAPPED PORTIONS OF A LOOP OF WIRE POSITIONABLE ABOUT ONE OF SAID JAW MEANS WHEN SAID JAW MEANS ARE MOVED INTO INTERLEAVED RELATION, OUTER SURFACES OF SAID CUTTING JAW PLATE BEING DISPOSED CLOSELY ADJACENT INNER SURFACES OF SAID SECOND PAIR OF JAW PLATES, INNER SURFACES OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF JAW PLATES BEING SPACED FROM OUTER SURFACES OF SAID SECOND PAIR OF JAW PLATES TO PROVIDE A SPACE THEREBETWEEN WHEN SAID JAW MEANS ARE MOVED INTO INTERLEAVED RELATION, SAID SPACES BEING SUFFICIENTLY WIDE TO RECEIVE OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF A WIRE LOOP THEREIN, SAID FIRST PAIR OF JAW PLATES HAVING BENDING EDGES AND SAID FIRST PAIR OF PLATES HAVING EDGES ENGAGEABLE WITH END PORTIONS OF A WIRE LOOP FOR MOVING THE END PORTIONS INWARDLY INTO SAID SPACES AND BENDING THEM AT THE LOCATIONS OF THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BENDING EDGES. 